


Jane Bueller's Day Off

by fresne



Category: Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)
Genre: Gen, Yuletide 2014, Yuletide Treat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-24
Updated: 2014-12-24
Packaged: 2018-03-03 06:36:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2841581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fresne/pseuds/fresne
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>If you don't look around, the world could pass you by.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Jane Bueller's Day Off

**Author's Note:**

  * For [wyomingnot](https://archiveofourown.org/users/wyomingnot/gifts).



Ferris' daughter Jane was head deep in a book. She was generally head deep in a book or studying.

Ferris shared a look with his wife, Maria, over his cereal, and said, "Most parents have to worry about cell phones at the table."

Maria rinsed her bowl in the sink. "I'm not going to complain." She put her hand on Jane's shoulder. "Ready for school, honey." 

Jane nodded, not taking her eyes off the page. 

Ferris watched them leave. He drove into work listening to the Classic Rock station. They weren't playing Twist and Shout. They were playing Tears for Fears. Duran Duran. The 80s were classic rock now. He said to the radio, "I am classic rock now. I'm a classic. I'll be a silver fox." Cameron had been moaning about that the last time they talked. Ferris was crossing the bridge when he wondered where Sloane was these days. She hadn't come to the twentieth reunion, but not many had. 

He went into his office and turned on his computer. Typing in his password to log on, and his password for his email and his password for secure email, and his password to Salesforce to check on the responses to his accounts and password to Sharepoint to check on the status of the product updates he'd requested after that last release had gone so poorly and it really was a beautiful day. He told the window, "It's too beautiful to stay inside." The sun was shining, and checking his weather app, it was going to stay a beautiful day. 

Maybe it was the Classic Rock or thinking about Cameron and Sloan, or maybe it was the way Jane was always head deep at the table, but he couldn't remember when Jane'd ever taken a sick day. Not even last year, when she was so sick. She always insisted in going in. She didn't want to fall behind. 

"I'm falling behind," he told the window. He was falling behind. "It'll be four years before she heads off to college." He clicked a few more keys. He said to the window. "Today's a day to stop and take a look around." He rescheduled his three pm appointment. He rented a cherry red mustang convertible, which Maria would probably kill him over. He called Jane's school. "Yeah, her great-grandmother is very ill. She's over a hundred. But I'll need to pull Jane out for the day to go see her just in case."

He drove back over the bridge and waited for Jane to come slowly down the front stairs. She was clutching a book to her chest. "Dad, why are you here and whose car is this?"

Ferris grinned. "It's our car for the day, and you're going to see your very sick great-grandmother."

But Jane was firmly planted on the stairs. "Great gran died when I was little."

He got out and pecked her cheek. "I'm taking you on your first mental health day. Get in the car." He pushed her gently into the seat. "But I'll fall behind in my classes." She protested.

"And if you don't stop every once in a while, you'll miss your life." He got back into the car and started off down the road. She was glaring until they crossed the bridge. She'd always loved bridges. She looked adorable with her hair flying around her head. He should have thought to get her a hat. 

He said, "Tell me why you like bridges again." 

"Because they connect things together," said Jane. She pointed up at the curves of steel. "This was a public works bridge. They finished it in 1934." She told him bridge facts. He got off, and turned their car around to drive right back across it. "Dad!" she squealed, but was laughing by the time they went across the fifth time.

He thought about taking her to a ball game, but this wasn't about recreating his last mental health day before college. "This is Jane's Day off." Still some things remained the same. He took her to the Sear's Tower and looked out at their city. Jane loved the Art Institute and read the placards on everything. He was sure she'd be telling about them later. She didn't notice when he bought a book or three for her in the gift shop. They went to the roar of the Mercantile Exchange. Jane took pictures with her phone of old buildings and pointed to their landmark placards. 

He took her to La Fontaines for lunch. It was where they were always taking clients and the Hostess, Tanya, took them to a table overlooking the City. Ferris ordered muscles, because he Jane loved them. Jane ordered a hamburger. He switched their plates when she was pointing at the passing blimp. "Dad!" 

"Jane!" Ferris smiled. "She always falls for the blimp." She wrinkled her nose at the glass of wine he ordered for her, but he had a secret motive there. "If she learns to love the good stuff, then when she goes to college she'll hardly drink at all. Oh, who am I kidding. She'll study every night in college." He stole one of her skinny fries and she stole one of his curly fries.

There was no parade that day, but they made their own parade by visiting every bridge on the Landmark website. Jane snapped pictures as they went. Her nose was a little pink, but she was looking up and around. At least until they crossed back over and he handed her books. Her eyes widened. "Dad!" She gave him an all to brief hug before running up to her room to read them.

That night after dinner, Maria smiled at Jane deep in a book on the Chicago Art Institute. Maria said to Ferris, "Honey, you do know that Jane's camera syncs to the cloud whenever she takes a picture."

Ferris put another dish in the dishwasher. "And we have her location tracked, not that she goes anywhere."

"Uh huh," said Maria. She kissed his cheek. "I'm glad you had a good day, but next time, invite me along. Kay." 

He wrinkled his nose at her and got a kiss until Jane noticed enough to say, "Ew!" After a few hours, Jane's eyes blinked and she shuffled off to bed. That was that for Jane's day.  
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"That's it. The stories over. Shoo. Go read something else."

**Author's Note:**

> If after reading my fiction here, you would like to read more about me and my writing check out my profile.


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